Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
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These Healthy Pumpkin Muffins contain no refined sugar and make the most delicious pumpkin spice muffins. Packed with the warm spices you expect, they are a no-guilt, healthier treat for breakfast, snacks, or dessert in the fall.
For another wholesome fall bake, try these Healthy Apple Muffins or for a decadent treat, try these Panera Pumpkin Muffins.
What to Love About These Muffins
With a handful of simple ingredients and one bowl, these simple muffins are delightful to have on hand for the season.
While I don't see myself ever giving up my favorite pumpkin bread, or these easy pumpkin muffins, and most definitely not these pumpkin scones, I reserve these healthier treats for special days, holidays, teatime, or visiting with friends.
What to know about these pumpkin muffins:
- Refined sugar-free, which means no added refined sugar.
- Quick and easy to make for fall breakfasts or snacks.
- Soft and tender muffins with pumpkin spice flavor.
- A healthy "anytime" treat you don't need to feel guilty about!
If you enjoy desserts that let natural sweetness shine, you may also love this simple Strawberry Fool dessert made with fresh berries and softly whipped cream.
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
These pumpkin muffins are simple to make and require only a handful of ingredients you may already have on hand. The exact ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cooking oil: A neutral oil is best, but olive oil and melted coconut oil are also suitable options.
- Maple syrup: I love the combination of maple flavoring with pumpkin, but you can also use honey to sweeten the muffins naturally.
- Large eggs: Bring structure and protein to the muffins
- Pure pumpkin puree: Be sure to use canned pumpkin instead of pumpkin pie mix, which has added sugar and spices
- Pumpkin pie spice: If you don't have this blend on hand, you can substitute 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon each of nutmeg and cloves (or allspice).
- Baking soda and salt: For leavening and flavor
- Vanilla extract: Isn't almost everything better with a dash of vanilla?
- Flour: I use white whole wheat in this recipe, but whole wheat pastry flour will make these muffins even lighter and fluffier. All-purpose flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour blends work too.
- Optional Ingredients: You can add chopped nuts to these muffins or even sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of turbinado raw sugar on top for texture and beauty. I normally do not top these muffins when baking them for the family, but I do when making them for friends and neighbors!
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Muffins with No Refined Sugar
Step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here's a quick overview:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease or line a 12-cup standard-size muffin tin.
- Whisk oil and maple syrup together, then whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, spices, soda, vanilla, and salt for the wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients until just incorporated into the batter.
- Evenly portion the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 18 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin tin as they are tender.
Variations
These pumpkin muffins are easy to adapt to your taste or pantry. A few ideas to try:
- Nutty Crunch: Stir in ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for added texture and warmth.
- Whole Grain Boost: Replace half of the flour with white whole wheat flour or oat flour for a heartier bite.
- Pumpkin Spice Muffins: For an extra-cozy flavor, increase the cinnamon and nutmeg, or add a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- Mini Muffins: Spoon the batter into a mini muffin tin and bake 10-12 minutes for bite-sized snacks.
- Gluten-Free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, checking doneness a couple of minutes early.
Want to add a little indulgence? Fold in ½ cup dark chocolate chips. While not as naturally sweet as the base recipe, it's a fun variation readers love. You might also enjoy my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones or these soft-baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies for even more pumpkin-and-chocolate inspiration.
Serving Ideas
Pumpkin muffins aren't just for breakfast - they fit beautifully into so many moments throughout the season:
- Morning Coffee Companion: Perfect with a warm cup of coffee or tea to start the day.
- Lunchbox Treat: Tuck one into work or school lunches for a wholesome sweet bite.
- Afternoon Pick-Me-Up: Pair with fruit or a yogurt parfait for a balanced snack.
- Holiday Brunch: Arrange on a platter with other seasonal bakes, like my Panera Pumpkin Muffins, for a festive fall spread.
- Afternoon Tea: Serve alongside a seasonal Autumn Afternoon Tea Menu for a cozy teatime gathering.
- Sweet Finish: Warm slightly and spread with cream cheese or honey butter for a dessert-like treat.
- Freezer-Friendly Grab-and-Go: Keep a stash in the freezer; thaw overnight or warm gently in the microwave for an instant snack.
Storing Pumpkin Muffins
Keep these pumpkin muffins in your refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for quick, easy, and healthy options when you crave a seasonal treat.
Recipe FAQs
You can store these muffins in an airtight, covered container at room temperature for a couple of days or refrigerate them for up to four days.
Absolutely! They freeze well in a freezer container for up to 3 months for quick and healthy snacks, ready made!
I like to bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F to help the outside edges set, giving you a beautiful domed top. Reducing the oven temperature allows them to bake more slowly for a soft and moist crumb. But you can most definitely bake them at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middles comes out mostly clean.
No refined sugar usually means that a recipe is sweetened only by natural sweeteners. These muffins are sweetened with maple syrup, but honey can easily be substituted if you prefer.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup cooking oil olive oil, melted coconut oil, etc
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (15-oz) pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cup flour I prefer white whole wheat
- OPTIONAL: Turbinado raw sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease a 12-cup standard-size muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray, or line with paper cups.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil and maple syrup, then whisk in the eggs. Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Add the flour and using a spoon or rubber spatula, incorporate into the batter until it's just combined. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle raw sugar over the top if desired.
- Bake for 5 minutes and then without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F F and continue baking for another 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from the oven and set the muffin tin on a rack to cool. The muffins are tender so it's best to let them cool before removing from the tin.
Notes
- Pumpkin Purée: Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and spices.
- Sweetener: This recipe uses maple syrup as the natural sweetener. Honey can be substituted, though it will slightly change the flavor.
- Flour Options: I'm using white whole wheat flour in this recipe, but all-purpose flour, or half all-purpose and whole wheat flour or oat flour also works for a heartier muffin. A 1:1 gluten-free blend also works well.
- Mix-Ins: Keep the muffins naturally sweet or fold in extras like chopped nuts, dried fruit, or even dark chocolate chips for a treat.
- Storing: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: These muffins freeze beautifully. Place cooled muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. Thaw overnight at room temperature or reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
- Mini Muffins: For a snack-size option, spoon batter into a mini muffin pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
They’re very good but mine come out flat and spongy. I can’t figure it out. Can I add baking powder? Why doesn’t the recipe call for baking powder? Just curious.
Hi Pam— the recipe calls for baking soda as the leavening. The muffins should rise. I might suggest checking the expiration date on your baking soda. Thank you for trying the recipe though!
Love this recipe! The first time I made these I made 6 extra big ones. Moist, healthy, dense, and delicious!
These were wonderful! We love pumpkin bread & muffins but my favorite recipe has so much sugar in it. These is a much better replacement, especially for snacks & breakfast. The flavor & sweetness is not sacrificed at all by using maple syrup. I used fresh pumpkin puree because I had it available. I also managed to get about 18 muffins instead of 12 (perhaps because I added chopped nuts which made the batter bulkier). Wonderful recipe, thank you so much!
Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed them. It's wonderful when you can have both flavor and better for you ingredients! Thank you for trying the recipe and letting me know your thoughts!
I made this pumpkin muffin recipe today. I substituted the oil for 1/2 cup melted butter and used einkorn all purpose flour. Whole these were baking the house smelled amazing. Muffins turned out moist and delicious.
I will probably use honey as the sweetener on the next go. And possibly adjust and add yogurt to add some additional protein.
Great recipe, I will make these again.
I only have fluted silicon cups (I have a toaster oven.) how should I adjust cooking time/temps?
Hi Janet, I've not tested these muffins in a toaster oven (its on my wish list), however, muffins do tend to bake faster in a toaster oven. If I were testing them, I would preheat the toaster oven to 400 degrees, bake for 4 minutes, and then reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Baking time will vary depending on the oven. I would bake for 9 minutes and then check to them to see if the the tops spring back and access the baking time from there. If you try them, I'd love to hear how they turned out!
Can you use almond flour
Can you use almond flour
Hi Nancy— that is a great question, but I haven’t tried this recipe with almond flour. I know it would with gluten free all purpose flour.
These muffins were delicious! I made them with coconut oil and did 6 jumbo muffins. They turned out so good. Not overly sweet. I added pecans to a few and chocolate chips to a few and both were great!
These muffins were delicious! I used coconut oil, all-purpose flour and maple syrup. I added chocolate chips to half the batter because I'm a chocolate-holic. I would've added them to the whole batch, but I wanted to see what they tasted without the chocolate. They had just enough sweetness with the turbinado sugar.
Would the muffins work with an egg replacer due to anaphylactic allergy? I also have to make it GF. I know that's a challenge but most recipes are a challenge in our house 😆
Hi Donna! I know the recipe works well with gluten free flour, most of the readers are using Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 flour, but I haven't tested it with an egg substitute yet. I did come across an article from a health food market I frequent on the best egg substitutes in baking. It's a great article with lots of choices. Here is the link to PCC Markets: https://www.pccmarkets.com/taste/2013-03/egg_substitutes/. If you try any of these, I'd love to hear how they turned out!
I know it can be challenging and I completely understand. Some in our extended family also have both gluten, nut, and egg allergies. I'm so happy you are looking for alternatives!
Will oatmeal flour work
Hi Rena, although I haven't tested this recipe using oat flour, I wouldn't recommend it. Oat flour is usually best with cookies and brownies as it is more crumbly.
Best recipe I have found to make GF pumpkin muffins. I used Bob Red Mill GF 1:1 flour, sugar for maple syrup and avocado for the oil. I topped with a sprinkle of crystalized sugar and chopped pecans. Instead of oiling a muffin pan I used the silicon baking cups. I made 10 muffins that were perfect. The silicon baking cups are a must for all the muffins I make.
Hi Lee! I can't tell you how happy your comment makes me! Thank you for sharing the specific ingredients you used as well as the tools. I'm craving those chopped pecans right about now! Thank you for trying the recipe and letting me know how it worked out for you.
Could you make mini muffins? And if so, how long and at what temperature?
Hi Marcie! I've not yet tested these as mini muffins, but when I do, I will bake at 350 degrees F (without the temperature change like the larger muffins have) and bake from 9 to 13 minutes, but watch them carefully. As you know, it's super easy to overbake mini muffins. Hope this helps.
Looks like a recipe I will enjoy! Do you think I could use applesauce in place of oil? Or maybe 1/4 c applesauce and 1/4 c of oil?
Hi Nancy! I have not tested this recipe using unsweetened applesauce, but it is usually a good substitute for oil. If you try it, I would love to hear how it turns out!
Hi,
Could you substitute oat flour instead of regular flour?
Hi Jill, I love using oat flour but in my experience, it doesn't work well for muffins, better for cookies and brownies, otherwise they become crumbly.
This is a really good recipe. I’ve made a lot of pumpkin muffin recipes and this is now the favorite. I used honey as the sweetener and all purpose flour. Just had one, delicious.
Thank you, Emily, for trying these! I love them too. Thank you for also sharing the sweetener you used.
You've made my day! Thank you, Emily for trying the recipe. I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you also for sharing which sweetener you used.
Made these muffins today. I used coconut oil, regular white flour, and molasses since I didn't have maple syrup on hand and they came out moist and delicious. They weren't as sweet as my go-to pumpkin muffins (probably due to the molasses) but my kids and I didn't mind the lack of sugar. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Heather! Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing your substitutions-- and I agree with you, maple syrup is a bit sweeter than molasses. But I LOVE the molasses variation!
Will agave work in this receipe?
Hi Ann, agave will definitely work in the pumpkin muffins.
Do you need to use pure maple syrup?
Hi Henrietta! I do prefer to use pure maple syrup as it is less processed.